Merrily We Go to ____ (1932)
"Merrily We Go to Hell" (original title)

A drunken newspaperman is rescued from his alcoholic haze by an heiress whose love sobers him up and encourages him to write a play, but he lapses back into dipsomania.

Director:

Dorothy Arzner

Writers:

Cleo Lucas (novel), Edwin Justus Mayer

Stars:

Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Adrianne Allen

Cast

Credited cast:
Sylvia Sidney	...	Joan Prentice
Fredric March	...	Jerry Corbett
Adrianne Allen	...	Claire Hempstead
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher	...	Buck (as Skeets Gallagher)
George Irving	...	Mr. Prentice
Esther Howard	...	Vi
Florence Britton	...	Charlcie
Charles Coleman	...	Richard Damery
Cary Grant	...	Charlie Baxter / 'DeBrion' in play
Kent Taylor	...	Gregory 'Greg' Boleslavsky
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adrienne Ames	...	Minor Role (unconfirmed)

Storyline

Nere-do-well Jerry Corbett finally meets and marries the right girl, Joan Prentiss. Unfortunately their wedded bliss is interrupted when Jerry's play becomes a hit and he hooks up with the wrong woman from his past. Joan decides that turn-about is fair play and she picks another man to escort her around to various parties around New York. Eventually Jerry quits drinking and sends his girlfriend packing, just in time for Joan to take him back.

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Plot Keywords:

alcoholic | newspaper | dipsomania | heiress | alcoholism | 

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Taglines:

In her innocence she expected days and nights of tender love. What she got was a Bitter Shock!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Geh' und lieb' und leide!

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

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Quotes

Richard Damery: [after Jerry reads a particularly snide column about him and Joan written by Demery] Any statement to make to the press, Corbett?
Jerry Corbett: Any statement I made to you wouldn't be fit to print.
Richard Damery: [Officiously] Well, I don't know. Yours is just a common case. When we're young, we want to marry for love, and when we're a little older, we marry a Rolls-Royce.
[Jerry punches him]

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Soundtracks

"On the banks of the Wabash Far Away"
(uncredited)
Words and Music by Paul Dresser

User Reviews

Early dissolute character for March

Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney star in Merrily We Go To Hell, the story of a nice rich girl who falls in love with an alcoholic newspaperman who has ambitions for greater things to turn his writing talents to. The title comes from a favorite drinking toast of March's.

Occasionally Fredric March turned in some fine performances of some dissolute characters. Later on he would get Oscar nominations for A Star Is Born and Death Of A Salesman and his part in this film can be seen as a harbinger of things to come.

For once Sylvia Sidney was not a child of the slums, she's a rich girl here who falls for March who keeps falling off the wagon. When he gets his play finally produced slinky actress Adrienne Allen comes between Sylvia and Fred. Incidentally playing a small role as Allen's lead in the play is Cary Grant.

The story verges into the melodramatic, but Dorothy Arzner gets some good performances from her stars and their support. Pay note to March's reporter sidekick Skeets Gallagher who has some interesting observations.

Fans of the stars should be pleased.